A mobile payment terminal is a card machine that works away from a fixed counter: its own screen, its own keypad and usually its own mobile data. Published prices for standalone machines start at 39 pounds excluding VAT and reach 179 pounds for ruggedised models. The account behind it costs the same as any other terminal.
What to insist on
Its own SIM rather than a dependence on a paired phone, a battery measured in transactions rather than standby hours, and a screen you can read outdoors. Those three are what separate a machine that works at a market from one that works in a demo. Printing is optional, since digital receipts are standard at every provider read here.
Mobile POS, and where the words overlap
Mobile POS usually means a tablet running till software with a card reader beside it, while a mobile payment terminal is the card machine alone. Suppliers use the phrases loosely. If a quote says mobile POS, ask whether it includes till software priced monthly per device, because that is a separate cost from card acceptance.
The rate is unchanged
No provider read here charges more for a mobile terminal than a countertop one. Published in-person rates run from 0.79% to 1.75%, with several adding a fixed pence element that matters most on small sales. The only method priced separately anywhere is tap to pay on a phone.
Questions people ask about mobile payment terminal
How much is a mobile payment terminal?
Standalone machines are published from 39 pounds excluding VAT to 179 pounds excluding VAT. Readers that pair to a phone start lower, from 11 pounds plus VAT.
Is a mobile POS terminal the same as a mobile payment terminal?
Not quite. Mobile POS usually includes till software on a tablet; a mobile payment terminal is the card machine alone. Ask which is quoted, because the software is a separate monthly cost.
Do mobile terminals cost more per transaction?
No. The account rate is the same whichever terminal is used at every provider read here.